Editor’s Note:  The following interview was done by Marjorie Stoneman on behalf of Whitewater Unites Lives.

Fabian Lopez, owner of Five Star Lopez, has lived in Whitewater for 32 years and said, “I love this place.  I love the U.S.A.”

Born in Mexico, he came to the United States for a better life.  He enjoys the fresh air, which is a refreshing change from the pollution in Mexico.  “You can breathe like you are in the woods,” he said.

Before he came to the U.S.  Fabian took English classes in Mexico.  He then continued to learn English through the ESL program taught by Jorge Islas-Martinez. 

He worked for a while at Generac while he was building his car repair business.  He worked all day, and often until 10 p.m., to support his family and build up his business, Five Star Lopez.

He owns Five Star Lopez on 113 East Main Street in Whitewater, where they service car motors, transmissions, electrical, tires, brakes, mufflers and suspension. “We do everything,” he said.

“It is important to me to make customers happy.  I like my customers,” said Lopez.

He says some customers just tell him to do whatever needs to be done, because they have a lot of trust in him.  He always wants to make sure to provide quotes and make sure that customers are aware of the cost and details.  “We have good customers so we want to do it the right way.  We help people when they need it,” he said.

Fabian’s son Darryl is opening another car repair location on 265 South Wisconsin Street in Whitewater.  Fabian is also considering opening a shop in a nearby town in order to help more people.

“We are lucky because we have good customers who put good reviews on Google,” he said.